FLAC Frontend is an easy-to-use GUI FLAC interface for Windows users. It is very much like mkwACT for SHN, with drag-and-drop usage.

First, you must download and install the FLAC Tools for Windows from http://mikewren.com/flac After you install, you must launch FLAC Frontend by either doubleclicking on the desktop icon, or going: Start > Programs > FLAC > FLAC Frontend.

Decompressing .flac to .wav

To decompress .flac files to .wav files, open windows explorer and highlight the files you want to decompress. Then drag and drop those files into FLAC frontend:

Before you convert the .flac files to .wav, be sure to choose where you want the .wav files to be saved to by choosing the "Output Directory" at the bottom of the FLAC Frontend window. Also, choose if you want to delete the input (.flac) file by checking (or unchecking) the "Delete input files" option.

Once you have set your options, convert your .flac files to .wav by clicking the "Decode" button:

A DOS window will now open, showing you the decoding status:

NOTE: FLAC will automatically verify each .flac file before it decompresses it to .wav, so running "Test" prior to decompressing is unnecessary.

Encoding .wav to .flac

To encode .wav files to .flac files, review the FlacFaq and adjust your settings. Then, open Windows Explorer and highlight the files you want to compress. Then drag and drop those files into FLAC Frontend:

If you are using Windows 95B, it is possible that the drag and drop feature will not function properly. In this case, simply click the Add Files button and browse for the files you want to compress.

Before you convert the .wav files to .flac, be sure to choose where you want the .flac files to be saved to by choosing the "Output Directory" at the bottom of the FLAC Frontend window. Be sure to check the Verify box. Also, choose if you want to delete the input (.wav) file by checking (or unchecking) the "Delete input files" option.

Once you have set your options, convert your .wav files to .flac by clicking the "Encode" button:

A DOS window will now open, showing you the encoding status:

NOTE: FLAC will automatically compute and add checksumming data (called a FLAC Fingerprint) to each .flac file it encodes, so there is no need to create a seperate .md5 file!

ADDITIONAL NOTE: Your .wav editing software (Sound Forge, Cool Edit, CD Wave, WaveLab, etc.) may have added extra unnecessary data in the header of the .wav file. If this is the case, the FLAC encoding DOS box warning will be displayed:

WARNING: skipping unknown sub-chunk 'LIST'

Don't worry about it... the FLAC encoder is just telling you that there's extra, unnecessary junk in your .wav file, and because FLAC is so cool, it's just skipping it.

Advanced: Creating a FLAC Fingerprint File with FLAC Frontend

You can easily create a FLAC Fingerprint file using FLAC Frontend. For more information about what the heck a FLAC Fingerprint is, visit FlacFingerprint.

To create a FLAC Fingerprint text (.txt) file with FLAC Frontend, drag and drop the .flac files you you want a Fingerprint for into FLAC Frontend:

IMPORTANT NOTE: As of right now (8/8/2002, Installer v1.0.3beta4), in FLAC Frontend v1.6.0 Alpha there is a bug that only allows you to create a FLAC Fingerprint from one directory at a time. If you have .flac files that live in more than one directory, do each directory one at a time. If you try to do more than one directory at a time, it may work, or it may not... but you won't receive an error message if it fails.

After you've dragged and dropped the .flac files you wish to create a Fingerprint for into FLAC Frontend, click the "Fingerprint" button.